The Parable of theBond Servant

The parable of the Bond Servant teaches us that true servants so enjoy their relationship with their master that they do not look for, nor need "thanks" for anything they do. They understand the relationship correctly...

How can you "top this?"

Matthew 25.21

"Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."

The Parable of the Bond Servant:

Luke 17.7-10

“When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, does his master say, ‘Come in and eat with me’?

8 No, he says, ‘Prepare my meal, put on your apron, and serve me while I eat. Then you can eat later.’

9 And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to do? Of course not.

10 In the same way, when you obey me you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.’”

What is Attitude?

Attitude is a settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something, typically one that is reflected in a person's behavior...

It is the opposite of arrogance and pride.

Rebekah shows a "bond servant attitude"

Genesis 24.15-20 "Before he had finished
praying, he saw a young woman named Rebekah coming out with her water
jug on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel, who was the son of
Abraham’s brother Nahor and his wife, Milcah.

16 Rebekah
was very beautiful and old enough to be married, but she was still a
virgin. She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came up again. 17 Running over to her, the servant said, “Please give me a little drink of water from your jug.”

18 “Yes, my lord,” she answered, “have a drink.” And she quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and gave him a drink. 19 When she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels, too, until they have had enough to drink.”

20 So she quickly emptied her jug into the watering trough and ran back to the well to draw water for all his camels.

The Parable of the Bond Servant:

In some ways, it appears that this is a rather harsh assessment of a servant - master relationship, yet it is not...

Why?

Because a true servant is one who has an overwhelming sense of "gratitude" for the benefits he or she receives

For believers, this should be a non issue - a "no-brainer", as we bask in the presence of "forgiveness" of sins and in the "presence of the Holy Spirit of GOD" within us

Do you want "thanks" now, or later?

We must know our place regarding the Kingdom of GOD. He is LORD - we are not...

We fight a "pride" problem which is manifest in cravings for appreciation

Receiving "thanks" is not what a bond servant requires to be faithful in his/her assignment...

The "imagination" is a whole world
inside the mind...

Parables are powerful "word-pictures" that are meant to be engrafted
into our thinking...as mental pictures do control our thought-life.

That's
where the "imagination" gets involved. The imagination allows mental exploration of the past,
present, future. It is the ability to see pictures and images in the
"movie theater" of the mind. The imagination is the "workshop" of the
human mind. It is the only thing in the world we have complete control
over. That's why GOD takes great interest of what goes on there, and judges what we allow to grow there - Genesis 6.5

We expect too much self-praise, and "thank you's" - and get offended when they are not expressed to us every time we do something for someone else...

Luke 12.37 "Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) are those servants whom the master finds awake and alert and watching when he comes. Truly I say to you, He will gird himself and have them recline at table and will come and serve them!

GOD say it's all about attitude when being a Bond Servant...

John 12.26 "Anyone
who wants to be My disciple must follow Me, because My servants must be
where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me."

Mark 10.42-45 "So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them.

43 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else.

45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

John 13.16 "I
tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is
the messenger more important than the one who sends the message."

This is the key of how the Kingdom of GOD works...

Mark 9.35 "He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, “Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.”

It is really that simple.

We are to be faithful servants, period! Don't worry about the "thanks" now - they will come later...